Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops

Better than any child’s candy, today we’re bringing you a Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops recipe! Now that’s a mouthful to say, but you’ll find that this recipe is packed with flavor in every bite!

Bacon, bourbon and barbecue create the perfect trifecta for this chicken lollipop recipe, which is the perfect appetizer for any tailgate party, family dinner, or cookout. They are seasoned with some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero Seasoning and sweetened with some personalized BBQ sauce, making for a lip-smacking favorite. This recipe is one you don’t want to miss! 

Why You’ll Love Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops

Drumsticks and lollipops. I can’t help but think of a small child going HAM on a drum set or getting a lollipop after a visit to the bank with mom and dad. Each of these is a great thing. Who says this joy isn’t for adults to enjoy as well?! We’ll be the ones playing with our food a bit as we transform these regular chicken drumsticks into something worth talking about. 

How to Make Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops

Better than any child’s candy, today we’re bringing you a Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops recipe! They are sweet and smoky for the perfect bite!

Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops Ingredients

Chicken:

• 10-12 Chicken Drumsticks
• 3 tbsp of Honey Habanero Seasoning or your favorite BBQ Seasoning
• 6-8 Slices of Bacon cut in half

BBQ Glaze:

• 1/2 cup of your favorite Barbecue Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of Honey
• 1 tbsp of Bourbon
• 1 tsp of Habanero Sauce or any Hot Sauce

Prepare Your Chicken Lollipops

The first thing you need to do to create these amazing chicken lollipops is use a sharp knife, a paring knife, or kitchen shears to make a cut about ⅓ of the way done the drumstick towards the knuckle side. Slice all around the drumstick and pull off the excess chicken skin and excess meat until the exposed bone is the only thing showing. Trim off any excess connective tissue, then press the meat down to form your “lollipop.” 

It might take you a bit to get the first one cleaned, especially if it’s your first time doing this. Don’t worry, you’ll get in the groove and move faster once you get a couple under your belt. Repeat this step for the rest of the lollipop chicken drumsticks.

Next, dip and cover the meat in your favorite dry BBQ seasoning. I used some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero Seasoning, it’s the perfect ratio of spicy and sweet. Then, I wrapped a little bit of bacon around each piece of chicken to create a restaurant style chicken lollipop. Just like that, our Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops are ready for the smoker. 

Wrap the Bones, But Not in Bacon

We all love bacon wrapped anything but bacon isn’t the only thing being wrapped around these lollipops. This job also calls for aluminum foil. Before placing our Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops on the smoker, we need to wrap the bone end of the drumsticks in a small piece of foil. This will prevent charring and discoloration of the bones throughout the cooking process. 

I also used a chicken wing/leg rack for these Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops. It’s a stand that can be placed in the smoker and holds the thinner side of the drummettes while they cook. I found mine on Amazon, but you can find a variety of different types at any grilling store. They’re pretty cheap and are one of the best ways to help the chicken keep a round lollipop shape while cooking. Definitely not something you have to have to cook this recipe, but something I did use. 

For other chicken lollipop recipes, check out my Smoked Chicken Lollipops, Flamin’ Hot Chicken Lollipops and Honey Korean BBQ Chicken Lollipops!

Preheat Your Grill

Preheat your smoker for 275F indirect heat. Add some additional wood chunks or chips for added flavor. Add your chicken to the smoker (preferably on a smoker rack) with aluminum foil on top of the bone and cook on medium heat for about 2-2.5 hours until their internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F for tender chicken.

Glaze Your Chicken Lollipop Drumsticks

Add a sauce pan with all the ingredients for the BBQ Glaze (BBQ sauce, honey, bourbon, and habanero sauce) as the chicken finishes cooking. Warm up for 1-2 minutes.

Once warm, pull the saucepan off, stir the mixture, and carefully dip each lollipop into the sauce until it is evenly coated. Let the excess glaze drain off and place the coated chicken back on the smoker rack. Repeat for each of the chicken pops, then let cook for 5 more minutes until golden brown and bursting with flavor!

For some different variations of homemade BBQ sauces, check out Ultimate Guinness BBQ Sauce, Chipotle BBQ Sauce and Jalapeno Watermelon BBQ Sauce.

Lollipops for Dinner

The smoked chicken lollipops will be complete at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit! After the BBQ glaze has caramelized, pull the prepared chicken lollipops off and rest on a serving platter for 2-3 minutes. Now, you’re ready to serve!

As always, best enjoyed with friends and family!

For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.